


Master and his Mate

by Slouchtonirvana



Series: Healing of Soulmates [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Developing Relationship, Dom/sub, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Oral Sex, Sex, Smut, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:35:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27253534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slouchtonirvana/pseuds/Slouchtonirvana
Summary: Based off the soulmate AU created by the talented Jayce Carter. Her soulmate AU in Fallout 4 is awesome, and I recommend reading them. With her permission, I am going off her idea (and following her story line) to create soulmates for Savoy and some others. This is a series.Savoy is a lieutenant in the most bloodthirsty gang, and doesn't have time for a soulmate with the raiders about to head to war. Can he keep his soulmate safe, and himself?Kaleen has been a slave to raiders since she was born, and has felt nothing but cruel abuse at the hands of the people who enslave her. How can nature be so cruel to connect her with a raider, and one as ruthless as Savoy?
Relationships: Porter Gage/Female Sole Survivor, Savoy (Fallout)/Original Female Character(s), Savoy/Sole Survivor
Series: Healing of Soulmates [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989928
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10885746) by [JayceCarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayceCarter/pseuds/JayceCarter). 



Savoy was sitting in Disciple’s territory when it hit. It felt like a snap in his mind, the instant connection. Shit, nature decided to give him a mate at the worst possible time. He held back his irritation as he got a feel for who was on the other side. 

All he felt was curiosity and some fear. The woman was in the park somewhere, and not far. He wondered if it was someone in a rival gang, that would not bode well at this time. The new bitch overboss was sending the gangs into war. Standing suddenly, he decided to go find her. Nisha was watching him with curiosity and he turned to her. “I just got a mate.”

“Excellent, Savoy. What do you plan to do about it?”

“I don’t know. I am going to go see who it is, and go from there. I will be back.”

He walked away from the woman he respected and left Fizztop. The connection was pulling him to the parlor. Fuck, is it an Operator? Better than the Pack, at least they bathe. He stepped inside the building and all the gang members stared at him. William Black just raised a brow. “Hello, Savoy. To what do we owe this honor?”

Savoy looked around him, trying to pinpoint where the connection is. “I just got a mate. She is somewhere in here.”

William just nodded. “Don’t start any trouble, but I am not going to get in the way of mates.”

Savoy waved him off as he walked through the building. No, not anyone in here. The connection was getting stronger, he was close. The person on the other side knew he was coming, she was becoming more and more afraid, Savoy felt panic from her end. He was led to a back room behind everything. She was just on the other side of this door. He calmed his shaking hand and turned the doorknob. 

Pushing open the door he saw her. She was crouched on the floor, arms covering her face, shaking like a leaf. He saw the slave collar. Fuck, a slave. At least it isn’t a rival gang member. He remained calm, not wanting her to feel any aggression from him. Her fear was only increasing as he stepped forward, closer to her. 

“Let me see your face,” he demanded.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she cried, not moving.

“I don’t plan to hurt you, but I also do not like being disobeyed. Let me see you.”

She lowered her arms and looked up at him. The first thing he noticed was her large, hazel, doe eyes. Her face looked sweet. Everything about her screamed innocence.

Fuck yeah. Just what he wanted. He didn’t want a mate that was a raider, who killed and scratched and bit. No, he wanted a sweet girl that would submit. And she would want to submit to him. 

“Stand up. What’s your name?”

“Kaleen.” She stood up, her head hanging low. 

“Do you know who I am?”

She nodded her head. “Savoy, sir. Right hand to Nisha in the Disciples.” She shivered as she said it. 

“You are my mate, now. You are no longer a slave. You will not answer to anyone but me. Anyone hurts you, you tell me. Do you understand what I am saying?” He hadn’t touched her yet, hadn’t made the connection between them because he wanted to make sure she was clear on the rules. 

“Yes, sir.”

“Come here.”

She stepped to him slowly, standing in front of him. 

“I am going to remove your collar, alright?” 

She nodded, not lifting her head up. He brought his hands up to her and even with the warning she flinched away from him. For some reason that bothered him. He clasped the collar in the back, turning it off and unhooking it, letting it drop to the floor. His fingers just brushed her neck in the process.

That slight touch, that gentle brush of fingers, fuck it was instant. They both gasped at the connection that formed. Suddenly he wanted to hold her, press her into his arms and never let her go. Biology can be a real cunt. 

She looked up at him and a single tear fell down her cheek. He brushed it off with his thumb. He watched as she looked down at the slave collar and she picked her foot up to smash it under her heel. Savoy brushed hair out of her face, wanting to touch her one more time. “I will let you pack your things together. I will let the Black twins know that you are no longer a slave. I will leave to prepare a room for us in my territory, and I will return in a few hours. Meet me out front of the Parlor. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

He wanted to reach for her again but resisted the urge, instead turning on his heel and walking out. He approached the Black twins. “Kaleen is now my mate. She is no longer a slave and will be treated with respect. She is packing her things to go, I will be back to get her.”

Mags just nodded. “Shame, she was a good slave. But, mates are mates.”

At that, Savoy left to go back to his own territory. 

~~

Kaleen was trying to calm the shaking in her hands. She was trying her best to not feel fear. She knew who Savoy was. Fuck, why did nature hate her so fucking much? If she felt fear, Savoy would see her as weak, he would hate her. She tried to not think about what her life would be like now. Disciples were bloodthirsty. They tortured anyone they pleased. 

She sat on her cot for a moment. Savoy had given her time to gather her things, but she had nothing to gather. All she had was the clothes on her back. She covered her face with her hands, and coked out a sob. Suddenly, calming comfort came through the connection. Was he trying to comfort her? She was surprised, and he must have felt it, because he seemed amused by it. 

She had a few hours so she sat on her cot, letting her mind wander. She hadn’t been paying attention when two Operators showed up at her door. “Hey, bitch. Where is your collar?”

She didn’t say anything. She froze up. She felt panic then pushed it down, thinning the connection to Savoy. The Operator snatched her up by her shirt, pressing his hand to her throat. “You think you can just take it off whenever you want?”

His hand was closing in and she couldn’t breathe. She was able to choke out the words, “My mate took it off.”

The Operator scoffed, laughing at her. “Yeah? Who is your mate? Another fucking slave?”

“Savoy.”

The Operator’s eyes went wide, dropping her immediately. She choked, holding her throat. It would be bruised later. “Come on, let’s get the fuck out of here.” The gang members ran off. 

Well, having a mate could be beneficial. She felt Savoy’s irritation that she thinned the link, but it was better than him storming in here. She coughed and ignored the pain in her throat, heading down to the front of the Parlor and sitting outside. She asked another slave for a smoke and she sat by the door, waiting. 

~~  
Savoy was not happy that she had thinned the link. He needed to be able to know what was going on, and he took it as an act of defiance. He had felt her panic and fear, then it thinned. He had thought he felt pain but couldn’t be sure. He approached Nisha up in her apartment. “I found my mate. I will be bringing her here soon. She is a slave.”

“A perfect mate for you, Savoy,” Nisha smirked, crossing her legs and sitting back. 

“I think so, as well. I am going to get my apartment ready, then gather her here.” He turned at the doorway. “It goes without saying, Nisha. She is absolutely fucking untouchable.”

“Of course, Savoy.”

With that he left her area and crossed the bridge to his own apartment. It was small, he didn’t need much. A bed, a table, a dresser. He looked at the large dresser with four drawers and pulled one of them out, emptying it of his spare knives. She would need her own space for her things. 

He looked around the room and wondered if she would feel comfortable here. He didn’t know why that was important to him. He was feeling things, being forced to feel things, from biology. He wanted to protect her and that was something he had never felt before. He would be able to protect her. She was lucky, she got a mate who is high ranking in a gang. Straightening the area up, he decided it was good enough, and left to pick her up. 

He was pleased to see that she had followed orders. She was sitting out front of the Parlor waiting for him. At least she can follow instructions. He approached her. “Gather your things. Let’s go.”

Turning, he left and could hear her footsteps just behind him. They went back to his territory, their territory, and he led her up the stairs to his personal area. Once inside his apartment, he closed the door behind them. He went up to his dresser, banging on the bottom drawer. “You can put your things in here.”

He turned to look at her, get a good look at her, and saw she wasn’t moving, nor was she carrying anything. “Where are your things? I told you to bring them.”

She shifted in place, looking down. “I don’t have anything, sir.”

“This is all you have to wear?”

“Yes, sir.”

He clicked his tongue. “That will not do. You are no longer a slave, I will not have you looking like one, dressed in rags. We will get you proper clothing.”

He felt slight excitement from her through the connection, then it disappeared. She was standing with her shoulders and head down, looking at the floor, hands clasped in front of her. That will not do, either. She can not be seen as weak. 

Slowly he walked up to her, put his hand under her chin. She gasped at the touch and he lifted her face until she looked up at him. “You are no longer a slave. You should not act like one. You are the mate of Savoy, Lieutenant to the Disciples. Hold your head up.”

His thumb rubbed her chin where he held it and he was pleased that she was leaning into his touch, even if it was just biology. She would need his touch to survive. He moved closer to her, slowly. He didn’t want to spook her but fuck he wanted her close. 

He leaned down to kiss her, watching her face and body as he moved into her. Just before he pressed his lips to hers, he saw it. Rage filled him instantly. 

~~  
Kaleen felt the rage flowing from him and panicked. Was he about to hurt her? He could make her life hell. His hand stayed on her chin but grasped it tighter as his other hand went to her throat. 

Shit. Not again. She couldn’t stop the tears that fell as she flinched, preparing herself for what was to come. 

But he didn’t choke her. His hand went to her throat and his fingers stretched out there gingerly, following the same spots where she had been choked earlier. 

“Who put their hands on you?” Shit, there must be a bruise already. His voice was low and quiet, his hands were gentle, but the rage flowing through the link was drowning her. “Answer me.”

“It’s okay, it isn’t a big deal.”

“This wasn’t there before. This was after I took your collar off. This is a handprint. Someone choked you. Who was it?”

“It was two operators that were punishing me for my collar being off,” she stammered, and somehow more rage flowed through the link. “But it’s okay, really. When I told them my collar was off because I am your mate they let me go immediately, so it worked out okay. It’s fine, I am okay.”

“Let me get something straight with you. This is not okay. You are untouchable. I took your collar off and no one had the right to touch you. No one but me. Tell me who it was. This was why you thinned the connection, isn’t it? I felt your fear, your panic. Then you pushed me away. Do not ever do that again. You kept something from me and I do not like secrets and lies.”

“Yes, sir. I am sorry, I won’t do it again. It wasn’t an act of defiance, I promise.” His eyes never left hers, and his hand still gripped her chin. Her tears were falling on his thumb. “I may have been a slave, but I am not stupid. I know what is happening, with the boss and the gangs. Tensions are high. I was worried you would come in and kill them, causing a war between gangs over just a silly misunderstanding.”

“Someone choking my mate is not a silly misunderstanding. They need to be punished.”

She closed her eyes. Please don’t. “I am not worth all of that. Please.”

With a touch that had no right to be so gentle, his hand left her chin and cupped her cheek. “I will be the one to decide that.”

Before she could really think about what she was saying, she stammered out, “What do you plan to do with me, sir?”

“You are my mate.” She gulped. With the hand that didn’t hold her face, he removed his mask and she saw him for the first time. His face was thin and angular, and had a few scars that went from his temple to his jaw. His eyes were blue and gray as he stared down at her, and he had a strong jawline. He was actually very handsome and he looked down at her, watching her take him in. “Do not fear me. But do not defy me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

To her dismay, his hand dropped, the touch over. She found herself wanting more, wanting his hands on her. She swallowed, pushing the feeling away, wiping those emotions clean from her brain. 

He turned back to her. “Don’t do that, I felt that. Don’t hide yourself from me, and don’t hide how you feel from me. I consider that a form of defiance. I have a bathroom over there with a tub. Get cleaned up, I will return with clothing for you.”

“Yes, sir.”

She went into the bathroom and started to run water in the rub. She sat on the edge, her hand under the running water, and she let herself smile. She hadn’t had an actual bath in who knows how long. For a moment she felt just a little happy and she smiled, splashing water as it filled the tub. 

She looked up and Savoy was watching her. He put his mask on, and left. 

Alone for a period, she tried to relax. Getting undressed, she stepped into the ub with a bar of soap, and began to wash herself. 

~~

Fuck, that feeling of happiness he felt from her? He wanted more of that. Fuck, this mate shit better not make him soft. He went to Nisha. “I need clothes for her. I will not have my mate look like a slave.”

Nisha stood and walked over to a trunk, going through clothing that they had scavenged. Savoy looked through the clothing on his own, and found a few baggy t-shirts she could wear. There wasn’t much in there in the way of women’s clothes, but he found a dress that would work for now. He would need to take her to the market.

He gave Nisha a nod, and went back to his own place. He stepped through to the bathroom and found her still in the tub. The water was full of soap, so all he could see was her head sticking out and the tops of her knees. Her eyes were closed, and she had a slight smile on her face. 

He let his heavy footsteps be heard as he entered so he didn’t surprise her. Her eyes popped open but she didn’t move, just watched him. 

He stepped over to the side of the tub, and sat on the edge of it, just looking down at her. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, sir. Sorry. I will get out.”

He stood up next to the tub to watch her. She sat up and looked around, He grabbed a towel from behind him and held it in front of him. To get it, she would need to stand naked in front of him and reach for it. 

Once she realized what he wanted her to do, she slowly stood up out of the water. Savoy felt shame come through the link from her. She stood dripping in front of him, spots of soap falling down her body. 

He didn’t even try to hide that he was looking at her. Fuck, he was looking at her. She was curvy, real curvy. Not too common with slaves. She had several scars and bruises that he wasn’t happy about. He watched that leg swing out of the side of the tub as she crawled out. She stood in front of him, reaching to take the towel from him. He thought of snapping it back, making her come closer, but she was already blushing bright red as it was and he felt merciful. He let her take the towel and wrap it around herself. 

He held out the clothes to her. “Something comfortable to wear for now. Something to wear if we leave the territory. There was not much, we will go to the market and get you proper clothing.”

“Yes, sir.” She took one of the baggy shirts and pulled it over, letting the towel drop to her feet. The shirt was large, and just barely covered her ass, hanging down her upper thighs. 

“Come.” He walked out of the room and she followed, going to sit with him on the couch that sat in the corner, a table in front of it. 

She sat next to him, pulling the shirt as far down as it went. He took out a bottle of whiskey and poured them both a glass. He held it out to her and she took it, setting it on her knee and looking down at the floor. 

They sat in silence for a while. Savoy was a quiet man, he didn’t speak a lot. Biology was wanting him to make her as comfortable as possible. She seemed uneasy, sitting next to him on the couch. “You know I wouldn’t hurt you, right?” The question came out before he thought about it. 

“I don’t know what to think, honestly. This is all, so much.” She sipped on the drink he gave her. “My entire life changed in just a few hours, and I don’t know if it is for the better.”

Savoy had no idea what to say to that, and he didn’t like what he was feeling. He hoped that having a mate wasn’t going to make him soft. He wasn’t feeling soft, he was feeling possessive and wanted her close to him. 

She looked up to him with those big, sweet eyes. “May I have another drink?”

That made him chuckle. “Sure. Anything in here, you are welcome to. Food, drink, chems, smokes. Just tell me if we are out of something so I can replace it.”

She nodded and worked on her second drink. Savoy watched her, the way she moved. She had a delicate way of moving her body, and he liked that. 

“So, what do you want me to do?” She asked the question as she finished off her second drink. 

He cocked his head. “Like, right now? Or in general?”

“I guess in general? I can cook, clean, all of that of course. I am skilled at cleaning weapons and armor. I can sew-”  
Savoy put a hand up. “You are not my slave, or my servant. You are my mate. How you choose to spend your alone time is up to you. Right now, with tensions so high in the park, I do prefer you to stay in here, at least in Disciples’ territory. That is not permanent.” He noticed there was a shake to her hand. When mates first connect, the need to touch and be touched is almost constant. He put a hand on her knee. “What do you like to do?”

She scowled into her glass. “I don’t know.”

“How long have you been a slave for?”

“All of my life. My mama was a slave, to a different raider gang down south. The overboss was not a good guy and she got pregnant with me. I grew up as a slave with them, and he sold me when I was nine to a raider gang that liked little girls. I was with them until my teens when they sold me off to the operators.” 

Savoy stood up straighter as he realized what she said. A gang that liked little girls? Fuck, people think the Disciples were bad. They didn’t do sick shit like that. He also didn’t like the waves of sadness coming through the connection. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, and was rewarded with a smile. 

Then, through the connection, he felt an… uneasiness? Unsure of something? “What is it?” 

“Hmm?”

“What’s on your mind? I can feel that, you know.”

“Sorry. I am trying to get better at keeping those to-”

“No. I told you. Don’t hide yourself from me, don’t keep things from me. Don’t thin the connection. What is it?”

She fiddled with a string hanging off the t-shirt, and in a meek voice she asked, “Do you have any books?”

“No, but I can get you some.”

“Oh no, that’s okay. If there aren’t any around it’s fine, I-”

Savoy put his hand up and to his dismay, she flinched. “If you want books, I can get you some. If you want or need anything, tell me. We will go to the market tomorrow. It is getting late. I am going to get ready for bed.”

“Oh. Where do I sleep?”

He almost laughed but kept that to himself. “In bed, with me. You are my mate, I want you close. And you need touch throughout the night.”

He chuckled at the blush that dusted her face. He was going to have fun working through that demure exterior. He got up and went to the bathroom, emptying his bladder and stripping down out of his clothes. He put on a clean shirt and some boxers, hanging the clothes he wore up to dry overnight. 

He stepped back into his living room, heading to the back where his bed was. His bed wasn’t huge, but two people can fit on it. She had the blanket pulled tight to her chin. 

He walked over to the edge. “Scoot over. I want to be closest to the door.” 

“Yes, sir.” She scooted over and he lifted the blanket, crawling into bed next to her. She was laying on her back, looking at the ceiling. Savoy laid on his side to watch her, his head propped on his elbow. 

She was nervous, he could feel the nerves and some of the fear through the connection. He reached a hand out, placing it on her stomach over the blanket, making her jump. “Hey, I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want, alright? Ain’t my style.”

She exhaled a deep breath and nodded. He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm over her and bringing her close to his chest. “You will want me, though. You’ll see.”


	2. Chapter 2

Kaleen couldn’t fall asleep for shit. When Savoy crawled into bed with her, it was hard to miss the lust and want that came through the link. She expected him to hold her down, do as he wished. But he didn’t. He just held her to his chest, his touch comforting her in a way that a mate’s touch does. 

Eventually she turned on her side, her back to him, in an attempt to fall asleep. He had grunted in his sleep, his arm tightening around her as he brought her back flush with his chest. She never thought she would sleep in a bed with a man like this, especially someone being this, gentle? Was gentle the word? Savoy wasn’t gentle but he was considerate. 

Eventually his deep breaths calmed her to fall asleep, her mind still racing with thoughts and memories that she had wished stayed away. 

She awoke again some time later, jerking awake and sitting up in a fluid motion. Her breath heavy, a sob choking her, she wiped the sweat off her face as she tried to remember where she was. A hand reached over to her and she cried out, flinching away. 

Then, it all came back to her. Savoy. She is Savoy’s mate. She is in Savoy’s bed. It was just a nightmare, no one was chasing her. 

“Hey, take a deep breath now, come on. You need to breathe.” Savoy’s sleepy voice interrupted her thoughts. 

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry. I should sleep on the couch.”

He just grunted, pulling her back down next to him. “Not going to happen. Go back to sleep. I’m here, nothing is going to hurt you.”

She faced him this time. The nightmare had been a bad one, they usually got bad when there was a change in her life. She was shaking even with Savoy touching her. She knew she should still fear him, but right now she wanted comfort. She curled up against his chest, feeling his chest rise and fall and his heartbeat against her. She held his shirt in her fists. 

Savoy leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Go back to sleep.”

~~

Savoy had been awoken by the intense fear the night before. Whatever was in her nightmare and roused him from his sleep and he felt the need to protect and comfort her as strong as her fear was. She didn’t hesitate to curl into his chest and he felt her rapid heartbeat as he held her. 

What had she been dreaming about?

He realized a minute after waking up again that she was not in bed with him. He sat up, and felt that she was nearby, in his apartment. Good. He smelled food cooking and got up, following the connection and his senses to her. 

She was stirring a pot over the stove he had scavenged some time ago. She jumped when he came up behind her. “Good morning.”

“Oh! Good morning. Um, I wasn’t sure what your morning routine was like so I made you food just in case. What do you drink in the morning?”

He pulled a kettle out of a cabinet. “Coffee. You want some?”

“Oh. Sure. Here I will make it. Are you hungry?” 

“Sure.” He took a seat at the table and watched her move. She was almost like a dancer, every move was calculated and delicate and graceful. She brought him over a plate of food while the water boiled, then brought him coffee once that was done, then she started cleaning and putting everything away. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I don’t eat in the mornings.”

“Come sit with me while I eat, then.”

“Yes, sir.” She sat at the table with him, blowing on her coffee and sipping on it. 

He watched her for a moment and tried to push away his frustration. “I know I told you that you are not my slave.”

She looked down in her lap. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“I don’t need a slave, Kaleen. I can take care of myself, and have for a very long time. I am not expecting you to be my servant. I expect you to be my mate.”

“I don’t know if I can do that, sir.”

“Well, try. Cause I don’t like this shit.”

“Can’t you just like, pretend I am a housewife or something?”

That made him laugh. “I guess technically that is what you are right now. Look, I don’t expect you to do these things for me, alright? I would much rather wake up with you still in bed with me than wake up to you cooking for me.”

That brought on the blush that he was finding he really liked. “Speaking of you being in bed with me, what happened last night?”

She froze, and he felt anxiety coming from her. “What do you mean?”

“The nightmare. It was really bad. Your fear woke me up.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I am not wanting an apology. I want you to know you are safe here. I know you can’t control nightmares, I am not unreasonable. I can feel how scared you are, how nervous you are. Is there anything I can do to make it better?”

The surprise he felt from her was almost endearing. “No, sir. I think it is something I just need to deal with.”

Savoy nodded. “Alright, well I have shit to do for a bit. Check in with Nisha, go over shit for today, make sure everything is running smoothly. I will return and I want you dressed in the dress I brought for you. I will take you to the market and we will see about getting you more things you need.” Savoy stood to put his armor and mask on, and saw she was looking at one of his knives on the table. “Can you use a knife?”

There was that sweet smile again, and she chuckled. “Not as good as any of you, of course. I could probably defend myself, maybe. But no, no one has ever really taught me to fight.”

“We will need to fix that. I will set up for you to receive training on hand to hand combat. You will need to be able to defend yourself, and to do so properly. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

He stood at the door to leave, feeling like he was forgetting something but he couldn’t figure out what. “By the way, you don’t need to call me sir.” With that, he left to find Nisha and Dixie. 

~~  
Kaleen was alone. She sipped her coffee, walking around the apartment. She didn’t go through anything, but looked at the knives on the wall with interest. She ignored the twitch in her arms, the shaking that was beginning. It had been a few hours since Savoy last touched her, and she hadn’t wanted to bother him with it. 

She went into the bathroom to get cleaned up and shook out the dress he gave her. It fit, thankfully. A bit tight at the top but not uncomfortable, and it flared out at the waist to swirl around her knees. Didn’t at all feel like something worn by someone who was a mate to a Disciple, but it was better than the rags she wore before. 

She sat and finished her coffee, smoking cigarettes, the shaking in her hands getting pretty bad. The pain was getting worse by the minute and she was having a hard time ignoring it at this point. She got up and straightened things up. Put away dishes, make the bed, folded clothing. Savoy seemed to be a fairly clean person so there wasn’t much to straighten up. 

By midmorning, the pain in her head had her holding her temples in her hands, desperately rubbing and gripping in an attempt to get the stabbing pains to stop. Waves of nausea crashed over her and she curled up on the couch, clutching herself. What is going on? Does this have to do with mate stuff? 

She was so wrapped in her pain that she didn’t hear Savoy come in, and didn't feel him sitting beside her on the couch. His hands gripped her arms and pulled her to him and it was relief so instant that she gasped out. He held her to his chest, his hands rubbing up and down her bare arms. 

“Why didn’t you tell me before I left? This wasn’t just from the past couple of hours, I have barely been gone two hours.”

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

She felt him sigh as her face was pressed to his chest. She didn’t want to, but she pushed herself against him, huddled in his lap. “This is along the lines of not telling me things, hiding things from me. You need my touch, and quite often in the beginning. If you are in pain, you need to tell me, especially if I am leaving to do something. Understand?”

She nodded against his chest. “Thanks, I feel better, now.” The need to stay pressed against him, to lean into his touch, was so strong. With her head pressed against his chest, she noticed he was breathing heavy and his heart was beating fast. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just felt you in pain, just fucking pain and nothing else. I got worried. With tensions so high between the gangs I…” 

With the pain easing in her own head, Kaleen was feeling the remnants of worry and fear coming over the connection. He had been worried that something happened to her, and had come right away. She lifted her head to look at him and his jaw was clenching. Leaning forward, she kissed the corner of his mouth. Just a peck, that lasted for a moment. Blushing, she moved back to laying on his chest. 

His chuckle rumbled through his chest. “What was that for?”

“You were worried about me. No one has ever been worried about me before.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Of course I am worried about you. You are my mate. I want you safe, and eventually, happy. Which is the reason I need you to not keep things from me, not thin the connection between us. Understand?”

She nodded. He went to get up and she stopped him. “Just, a minute longer? Please?”

“Sure. Then we go to the market.”

“Okay. In a minute.”

~~  
Savoy was trying to calm the fear and panic he had felt when he realized she was in pain. The pain had gotten intense and fast, and he excused himself from Nisha to go to her, to find her curled in a ball on the couch, shaking. 

Fuck. She needs touch. Why didn’t she say something? He pulled her into his lap, holding her close, and unfortunately, enjoying every minute of it. 

His body was enjoying it, too. He had to adjust himself so she couldn’t feel his erection. 

He had read between the lines of what she told him, about when she was a kid. Little girls sold off to raider gangs only meant one thing. His cock against her side might freak her out, especially with the nightmares she has. 

Of course he wanted her. She was his mate, and she was fucking beautiful. Not just because she was his mate, but classically beautiful. But he wanted her to want him, too. He wanted her to submit to him, because she wanted to submit. Not because he was forcing her to. 

He was an asshole and a murderer, not a rapist. 

He leaned down to kiss her forehead again. “Come on, let’s go. Or we are never getting anything done.”

“Sorry.”

He grabbed her arm as she moved away. “Hey. Don’t apologize. I like holding you as much as you like being held. But we have shit we need to do.” He watched her sit forward and put shoes on, and he put his mask back on that he had thrown off as soon as he was inside. 

He turned to walk out towards the main territory, and she followed. Once out of the apartment, she was still staying behind him. He turned back to her. “Up here. Beside me. Head up. You are my mate, stay by my side.” 

A tenderness came through the connection that he could not discern yet. He put a hand around her waist, and walked her through the building. It was a message to everyone, and to her: she belonged to him. They made the short walk through Fizztop and out to the market. 

Most everyone only glanced their way for a moment. When they saw Savoy, they quickly averted their gaze. He opened the door for her to the market and she smiled up at him before walking through. 

Inside, he led her to Mackenzie. The slave did the medicine, but she also took a lot from scavvers and would have a lot of supplies. Savoy pointed Kaleen to go to the counter. Kaleen smiled at Mackenzie. “Hey, Mac. I am in need of some things.”

“Oh, hey Kaleen! I wondered where you were! What do you need?”

“Um, everything?” She glanced nervously at Savoy, who stayed a few feet away. 

“Put it on my tab.” 

Mackenzie’s smile faded for a moment when she looked at Savoy, then back at Kaleen. She led Kaleen to behind the counter. “Here, go through these crates. Anything you want, put in this box. I will tally it when you are done.”

Savoy leaned at the end of the counter, watching Kaleen go through the clothes. He noticed she only picked out practical items, nothing frilly or pretty. Pretty soon she had a small pile. Savoy watched her eyes dart to a box of books that sat under the counter. “Get what you want,” he reminded her. 

He was rewarded when the corners of her mouth lifted. “Mac, I am going to get some books. Do you have a hairbrush?”

Mackenzie got everything tallied up. As Kaleen gathered her things, Mackenzie cleared her throat, looking from Savoy to Kaleen. Kaleen looked at her. “What is it?”

Mackenzie had a bag that she pulled from under the counter. “Here. This is for you, Kaleen. We are even, now.” She handed her the package with a wink. 

Kaleen opened the bag and gasped. “Mac, this is too much.”

The slave shook her head. “Take it. For you. Enjoy.”

Savoy had questions, but he didn’t miss the joy that came through their link and fuck if he was going to ruin it by opening his mouth. They went back to Disciple territory, back up to his apartment inside Fizztop. 

Once inside, he felt comfortable asking. “Alright, what was that all about? What’s in the package?”

Kaleen sat on the couch, fingering the bag, her box of clothes and books forgotten. She took out it’s contents: empty notebooks, pencils, and pens. “These are so expensive. So rare, worth a lot of caps in this condition.”

He sat on the couch next to her and poured her a drink as well as one for himself. “And why would she give you that? What did she owe you for?”

There was a slight panic through the link as Kaleen set the package done. “I am nervous to tell you. You will either be very angry, or very proud.”

That got him intrigued. “Tell me.”

She sighed. “Alright. Mac’s room was close to me, the Parlor had better slave quarters.” She downed the drink in her hand, and lit a cigarette. “A few weeks ago, I heard her screaming in her room. I had a knife I had hidden so I went in there. I was half asleep so I wasn’t thinking straight. She was being, uh attacked.” Her blush was bright red. “He was on top of her and had her clothes off. And I may have uh, slit a raider’s throat. He didn’t even know it was coming, and I was able to cover his mouth so it didn’t make any noise.”

Savoy was frozen. He didn’t know if he wanted to hug her, laugh, or both. “What gang?”

“Operator. That whole gang is trash. The Black Twins are fine, but the ranks are nothing but rapists and assholes. We both freaked out and disposed of the body, making it look like he was jumped in an alley.”

“That is fucking awesome.” Savoy had a smile on his face that he hadn’t thought was possible in a long time. Fuck yeah, nature paired him with the right woman. Demure, sweet, and a ruthless killer. 

“You aren’t mad?”

He cocked a brow at her. “I am the last person who would get mad at you for stabbing someone.” 

“Valid point.”

“Did you get everything you need?”

“For now. I got some clothes, enough. She didn’t have much. It is hard for me to find things that fit me, I will have to tailor these as it is.”

“Why is that?”

She blushed. “Just cause of how I am shaped.”

Savoy had no idea what made him want to, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap. She gasped, but didn’t fight him. “I like how you are shaped.” He let her feel some of the lust through his link. He waited for her reaction. 

She gasped again, blushing red. Some nerves, but no fear. He pulled her arms to go around his shoulders, and moved his hands to her waist. She was looking down at his chest, breathing heavily. “Hey. You can push me off, at any time. Never let me do anything to you that you don’t want.”

She just nodded, not looking up. Real shy, sweet. He wondered just how innocent she was. “Kaleen?”

She looked up. “Yes?”

“You ever been with a man before?”

That blush. “Define, ‘been with a man’,” she said, just above a whisper. 

He felt the discomfort through the link. “I ain’t gonna be mad, I am just curious, is all. Have you fucked before?”

Her face dropped to his chest again and this time she did whisper, “Not willingly.”

There went that rage again. He tried to reel it in, the past is the past. But he needed to know if there was anyone he had to kill. “When?”

“When I got sold to that gang when I was ten, for a few years. Then twice here in Nuka World.” 

“I want to know who.”

“It was before we were mated, Savoy. It doesn’t matter.”

His hand went to her neck. “Don’t tell me what matters. I am asking who.”

“They were Pack members. It was a long time ago. I don’t know their names, and so many of them dress the same.”

“You ever see them, point them out to me. I don’t fucking care, just tap my arm and point. I’ll take care of it.”

Part of him felt bad that this pretty little thing was sitting in his lap, arms around his neck, and she had to think about fucking rapists. Not the direction he wanted to go with this conversation. His hands went back to her waist, and he let his fingers drift down her hips a bit, just tracing the deep curve that went out from her small waist. 

He didn’t miss that gasp, or the lust that came through from her, small as it was. So there was hope. He brought a hand up to cup her chin, making her look at him. “I ain’t mad at you, alright?”

She nodded against his hand. 

He watched her for a moment, and saw her eyes drop down to his lips for just a second then they snapped back up to his eyes. He gladly took the invitation, holding her chin as he slowly dropped his lips to hers. Slowly, so she had a chance to stop him or move away. 

But she didn’t. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest as he moved his lips against hers, nothing too passionate, nothing like what he wanted to do. She straightened up in his lap and moved her body against his as her lips pressed back. 

Moving his hand from her chin to her neck again, his arm fully wrapping around her waist, he deepened the kiss, tilting his head to the side as he brushed his tongue along her lower lip. She opened to him, letting him press his tongue against hers. 

She had him breathless quick, and his cock was getting entirely too excited already. He didn’t want to move things too fast, he wanted her to want him. Actually want him, not just because nature said she had to. After some time he pulled away and looked at her watch him from under heavy lashes. 

“That was my first kiss,” she smiled. 

~~  
Kaleen’s heart was dancing in her chest and she had to tell the brat to calm down, it was just a kiss. Everything she was feeling was because of biology. She could not let her guard down, ever. No matter how kind he was to her, he was still a Disciple. 

She had felt the lust from him but he had not pressured her at all. She was surprised and wondered when he would finally decide to stop taking things so slowly. He was watching her in his lap when he leaned forward and pressed another chaste kiss to her lips, giving her arm a squeeze. “I have to go, again. Things to discuss with Nisha. Get your things settled in and put away, alright?”

She nodded, getting up off his lap, irritated at herself for feeling disappointed. “Do you need me to do anything else around here? I can do laundry and-”

“No. Not a slave. Getting really tired of repeating that.”

“Yes, sir.” She winced. “Sorry, habit.”

“Just get settled in, alright? I’ll be back later.”

One more quick kiss, and he put on his mask and left. Kaleen sighed at the normalcy of it. Just her mate, going off to work, giving her a goodbye kiss. His work was to kill and torture but, those are just details. 

She started going through the box of things she got, folding them and putting them in the drawer Savoy had cleaned for her. He was surprisingly considerate. No, guarded. Shorts, jeans, some tank tops and t-shirts. Underwear and some bras that she was lucky to have found. The heavy boots she put next to his other pair by the door. 

At the bottom of the box was a hairbrush, that she set on his dresser next to a few of his knives and his whetstone. She almost giggled at the raider like domestication of it all. The last thing in the box she took out, holding it in her hands. She had no idea why she grabbed it, it was an impulse and she didn’t think Savoy would be happy she spent caps on it. 

A black, silky lingerie nightgown for sleep. He probably wouldn’t even care if she wore it, but she had seen it and wanted it. She had passed on so many other things she saw that she wanted, some nicer things that she didn’t deserve. But maybe, if he continued being this sweet, he would want to see her in it. 

She buried it in the back of the drawer, and finished stacking the books on the shelf next to more knives. Satisfied that she was as settled in as she was going to be, she poured herself a drink and chose a book, sitting in the bed to get comfortable. 

She tried to focus on the book but that kiss with Savoy kept creeping back into her mind. She was feeling lust in the bottom of her core, a feeling she had never felt before and assumed she never would. Embarrassment plagued her when she felt amusement from the link with Savoy. He knew what she was feeling, what she was thinking about. 

This mate thing was kind of a bummer. She didn’t feel like her thoughts were her own. If she felt sad, horny, ashamed, anything, then Savoy would know. On the flipside she felt the same things from him. She had felt his lust earlier when she sat on his lap, and it had both scared and excited her. 

She wondered what it would be like to be with a man like Savoy, to just have normal sex. It was not something she thought about all that often, men were not kind to her. But she let her mind wander about his hands, his mouth, what it would feel like on her. Lust rolled over her like waves and she felt lust in return from Savoy and that snapped her out of her trance. 

She sat up, and stopped thinking any of those thoughts. What the fuck was she thinking? This was not keeping her guard up. The raiders were heading to war with each other, Savoy had enough on his plate without having to deal with her pitiful ass. Savoy deserved a better mate. One that was beautiful and sexy and brave, who could stand beside him as a Disciple. Shaking her head, she went back to her book. 

She didn’t hear Savoy come in. She was still sitting on the bed, back against the headboard and legs stretched out, nose deep in a book. He walked over to her, throwing his mask on the couch and sat on the edge of the bed. She didn’t look up from her book as he placed an arm over her legs to lean over her. 

“What are you in here thinking about?” His low voice had an amused tone to it. 

“Hmm? Oh, just reading.”

“Yeah? That’s it? You know I can feel those feelings from you.”

She was pissed at her fucking blush. Why does she have to blush all of the time? So weak and pathetic. “Sorry, I just let my mind wander too much.”

His hand went to her thigh, massaging the muscle. “What were you thinking about?”

Shame filled her chest at the thoughts she had, thoughts she had no right to think. Not a woman like her. Suddenly Savoy snatched the book out of her hand, growling. “What is going on in your mind?”

Fuck, now she was fighting back tears. He’s disgusted by her, has to be. Feeling all of this stupid shit that he wants no part of. “I let my mind wander too much earlier after you know, you kissed me.”

“Yeah, I know. I liked feeling that from you. What I don’t like is this shit. The feelings of shame, disgust, and hurt that comes over your link to me every time you feel any kind of lust or happiness. Tell me why.”

Her hands were shaking slightly, and he must have taken it as her needing touch because he lifted the hem of her skirt to put his hand on her bare skin, rubbing his fingers up and down her thigh. 

“Because you deserve better than me. I’m sorry you got stuck with me. I am not a good mate, not for someone like you.” His hand stilled on her leg as he got irritated. “You deserve better. Someone beautiful, sexy, dangerous, someone like you. But instead you got stuck with a useless slave. I don’t have any right to think thoughts like that. You have a lot on your mind, a lot going on with the park waiting to go up in flames. The last thing you need is to have to deal with my pitiful self.”

The words poured from her lips before she had a chance to shut herself up. He did say he wanted honesty, that he wanted her to always tell him the truth and not hide herself from him. She took a deep breath and looked up at his face. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was clenching, and his hand on her thigh had her in a grip. Shit, she pissed him off. Fuck. 

“You really think that?”

All she could do was nod. He growled in return and her breath hitched in her throat, a mixture of fear and arousal. His hands went to the back of her knees, grasping them tight as he yanked her down, pulling her down so she laid on her back as he sat between her knees, looking down at her. 

“Let me tell you what I think. I have seen some bad mates. Nature fucks up a lot with this shit. But for me? Us? Nature got it right. I didn’t want a woman like me. I didn’t want a vicious, ruthless, crazy woman. I wanted someone like you. You are what I want in a mate, everything about you.” He leaned down, pressing kisses to her knees, her skirt falling down around her thighs. 

The waves of lust rolled over her, and she couldn’t tell where hers ended and his began. She knew he felt it, too, the way he looked down at her. “And I think I am just the right kind of man for you.” He leaned down over her, propping himself up on his elbows on either side of her head. 

“Stop me at any time, Kaleen. I won’t be mad.”

Kaleen nodded. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she didn’t want him to stop, but she should. She should push him off and laugh it all off as some kind of joke. 

But she didn’t. In a moment of bravery she brought a hand up to his face, tracing the lines of a scar that went to his ear, then held her hand there to cup his face. 

He pressed a kiss to the wrist that touched him and the way he looked down at her melted a heart she didn’t know she had.


	3. Chapter 3

Fuck, Savoy was pissed. All that shit she just said to him, all that shit really knocking around in her head? 

When he had been talking to Nisha first and the first wave of lust came to him, almost bashfully, he had been amused. She felt it and snapped out of it. His mind wandered, wondering what she was doing all alone, feeling these things. When the next wave of lust came, stronger than before, all he could think of was her sitting on the bed touching herself. He imagined she would be shy with it, even shy would pressing her own fingers to her cunt while she thought about him. 

He couldn’t stop the arousal that went through him, and he knew she felt it. Then she snapped abc from him, and he felt all that bullshit. Fucking shame? 

And all that shit she just said to him was knocking around in his head. She thought he deserved better than her. Fuck, that shit pissed him off. But he reeled that shit in because of the way she was looking up at him, the way her hand touched his face. 

A touch so gentle he almost moved away from it. He didn’t want this from her. Propped up over her on his elbows, he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. See what her reaction would be. He let his lips move over hers, pushing away the day as he felt her body under his. Forget about the new overboss trying to pit the gangs against each other, forget about them having to kill every other raider in this park, forget about the war that was about to happen that could kill them all. 

He pressed his tongue into her mouth and was pleased with how she reacted. Her hands went around his neck, holding him to her, her knees pressing against his hips as she returned the kiss to him. Her body arched up to meet his. He doubted she even knew what she was doing, her body was moving for her. 

Slowly, he moved a hand down to grasp a breast. The nipple hardened against his palm and she fucking moaned. That alone was enough to get him going. He wanted her to make more of those noises against his mouth. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t care if he was coming off soft or weak. His mate was moaning under him and he wanted more. 

He moved his hand from her breast down to her knee. Slowly, under her skirt, he inched his hand along her inner thigh, giving her plenty of to stop him. The muscles in her thigh twitched under his touch, and her breath caught in her throat when he reached her underwear. Slowly, over the cloth, he pushed his thumb against her clit. 

Her hand grabbed his shoulder and she broke away from the kiss, shock on her face. He smiled down at her as he rubbed her over her underwear, feeling the wet cloth on his hand. She was already so fucking wet, and he had barely touched her. He took hold of the elastic band at the top, and pulled them down and out of the way, pulling them off her leg. 

He pressed kisses to her jaw, her throat, as his hand found his way back to her slit. Once he really wet how wet she was he fucking groaned against her throat. He was just pushing his fingers against her slit, rubbing up and down, not putting too much pressure on the clit. She was already sensitive enough and responding to every touch with a cry. 

She started unbuckling his pants and he pushed her hand away. “No.”

“You don’t want to?” That pout was pretty fucking adorable. 

“No. Not right now. This isn’t for me. I want to make you come.”

Her face just read confusion. “I don’t think I can.”

His hand stilled at her slit. “What makes you think that?”

“I have tried to make myself, you know. Never have been able to.”

He chuckled. “Alright, challenge accepted. And I know I am going to prove you wrong because I have barely touched you, are you are already fucking soaking wet and crying out under me.”

He brought his fingertip to circle around her clit, putting pressure at the top of it as he rubbed down. He could hear how wet she was, and he knew she could hear it too with the embarrassment flowing from her. He kissed her jaw. “Sounds fucking amazing. You feel fucking amazing, too.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Bet you taste just as good, too.” 

His fingers moved down again, circling around her entrance and her legs opened wide like an invitation to come inside. Watching her face, he pressed two fingers inside of her. Moving in and out slowly, feeling how goddamn tight she was, he crooked his fingers up to hit the patch of nerves that draw women to their knees. 

When he found it, she did cry out. He shifted his hand so that his palm hit her clit while his fingers fucked her, hitting that patch of skin with each thrust. It didn’t take long, he felt her beginning to tighten up even more, and he groaned at how she was going to feel coming on his cock. 

Keeping the same pace, not going any faster or harder, he brought his lips down to hers, kissing her. He bit her bottom lip, pulling it out slightly, smiling down at her moans and gasps that spilled from those fucking sweet lips. 

She grabbed his arm that still held him propped by her head. “Fuck, Savoy!” Oh fuck yeah, the way she screamed out his name? He couldn’t wait till she did that while he fucked her. Her pussy tightened around his fingers, almost pushing them out of her, and he thrusted them hard inside, moving through the waves of her orgasm. 

She was out of breath, chest heaving, and he leaned down to leave a line of kisses on the throat, her jaw, up to her lips. Her pussy stopped quivering around him, so he pulled his fingers from her. Making sure she was watching him, he brought his hand to his mouth and licked her pussy off his fingers. “Fuck, you taste as sweet as I thought you would.”

Oh, he really liked that blush on her. He laid down next to her, putting his hand on her stomach, watching her bask in the afterglow of an intense orgasm. Then, it was like she woke up. She went rigid under his hand, and sat up. “Hey, where are you going?”

Through the link he just felt that damn shame and embarrassment. 

“Don’t do that. Don’t feel that way. It felt good, right? It’s okay to feel good. I wanted you to. Hey, come here.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, making her lay with her back to him. 

“Why didn’t you want to have sex with me?”

The question stilled his hand that was running down her side. “It isn’t time for that, yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“That was for you. You needed that. We will get there, don’t worry. I want to fuck you in every way possible. And I will. But right now, not the time for that. You needed to feel that, to know that you can feel lust and be aroused, and fucking come.” He looked down at her. “Did you think I didn’t want you?”

She nodded against his chest and he chuckled. Grasping her hip in his hand, he held her still as he ground his still hard cock against her ass. “You feel that? I fucking want you. But no matter how hard my cock is, how much I want to fuck you, this was more important right now.”

She didn’t say anything to that, and fuck he felt her relax in his arms and it that wasn’t worth fucking everything, he didn’t know what was. 

His own mind began to wander, with the gangs in the park. The Pack and The Disciples were for sure going to war. The Operators were a wild card, who knows what those fucking siblings were up to. The Overboss was planning to kill them all, because fucking Gage got it in her fucking head that they were after him. His fucking mate coming in to kill Colter and become overboss had been fine until she got it in her head that they all had to fucking die. 

And before, he didn’t care. He would fight and cut and stab anyone who got in his way. But now, he had his mate to look after. Worry rose up in him, worry he couldn’t keep her safe, and suddenly, part of him understood. 

Overboss and Gage were mates, and ready to kill to keep each other safe. Mason, the Pack’s Alpha, had his mate that he would burn down the park for. Savoy had thought it annoying. Now he had this mate curled up against his chest and he fucking got it. 

Her hand came up to rest on his hand on her stomach. “Savoy?”

Her lyrical voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Hmm? What is it?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Long day.”

She just watched his face. “It’s bad, isn’t it.”

“Don’t worry about it, I will keep you safe.”

She laid on her back, looking up at the ceiling. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Fuck.”

~~  
Sometimes Kaleen missed being a slave. Mostly, she missed the information she got slinking in the background. Most raiders paid no mind to her, so they could know what was going on with every gang. 

Savoy was keeping her tucked away for her safety. He had mentioned her being trained in fighting skills, but hadn’t brought it up again. She knew he was trying to keep her safe but the more tucked away she was, the more scared she was. 

Savoy came and went throughout the day after he got her off, then finally came home in the evening, throwing his mask and shoes off. He flopped down on the couch in a huff, rubbing his hand over his face. Kaleena brought him a drink, and sat beside him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

Liar. 

But she wasn’t brave enough to call him out on his hypocrisy, not yet. She was getting more brave, though. She didn’t cower from him. She didn’t fear him as much. How quickly that changed. 

He put his hand on her knee, clasping it. She set her head on his shoulder. “You hungry? I can make dinner.”

“Yeah, I could eat.”

She stood up to the small stove and set out food to cook. There were a few things, some beans and random meat, few tatos, she could throw together a quick stew. Her mom used to make stuff like this over the campfire outside where they slept. 

She couldn’t help the sadness that washed over her at the memory. Her and her mom used to sleep outside in an old lean-to that used to house brahmin. The overboss they were slaves for didn’t have a bit of humanity in him. She remembered winters out there, huddling together under blankets to keep warm because the wind kept blowing the fire out. 

Out of nowhere, hands were around her waist as she stirred the pot of food. “You okay?”

She gave Savoy a smile. “Yeah, food will be done in a bit.”

He pressed a kiss to her neck, then sat at the small table to watch her. Putting food in a bowl for him, she took it to the table. “Where’s yours?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“I don’t care. I haven’t seen you eat once. Eat.”

She got up and got a bowl, giving herself a much smaller portion. She just didn’t have an appetite. Too much going on. Slowly she took a small bite, chewing while she looked down at the table. 

“What were you thinking about earlier that made you sad?”

“My mom.” She smiled and looked down at the food, playing with it with her spoon. “She used to make food like this. Sometimes just mixing the weirdest stuff together to feed us. The overboss was, obviously, not a good man. He was very cruel. Before he sold me off, after I was born, he would make me and my mama sleep outside. Even in the winter. The winds would blow the campfire out so we had no way to keep warm.”

“You said she was mated to him, right?”

Kaleen nodded. “She was a slave to the gang when it happened. Have you ever heard of mates killing each other?”

Savoy stared at her. “It happens. It is rare. Nisha killed her mate, he tried to rape her.”

“That happens a lot, too. Lots of abuse and hardship. Good for her for breaking out of that, being able to get past that primal instinct. My dad, the overboss who was also my master as a slave, killed my mama.”

Savoy didn’t say anything, she expected him to, but he didn’t. “He beat her to death.”

Kaleen looked up at the wall, past Savoy. Anywhere but him. “I was sick with a cold, I had a fever. It was so cold out. She was asking him if I could stay inside for the night, until the fever broke. He was inside with another woman and didn’t want to be interrupted. So he beat her to death. And he sold me off the next day.”

“So, Savoy. I am afraid. I have seen what mates can do, I have dealt firsthand with what raiders can do. And I don’t know why I am telling you all of this right now. But I feel a darkness coming, a kind of bad omen. Something is happening and you won’t tell me what.”

“Overboss has it in her head that we want to come after her or her mate, Gage. She is pitting the gangs against each other, trying to make them go to war to kill each other off. And it is working. The gangs are already at each other’s throats. Disciples are first on the list to get knocked off.”

Kaleen gulped. “What do we do?”

He shook his head. “Nisha is trying to handle it, same as me. It will all work out in the end, but it is going to be really shitty for a while. I am still going to set it up for you to be trained in self defense, okay?”

She nodded, then got up and walked over to him. “You are tired. Come to bed.” Not even caring that he can see, she stripped down and put on one of the large shirts, crawling into bed as he stripped down and joined her. His arms came around her and held her tight to his chest, and they both pretended to be asleep. 

The next week went by fairly quickly and without much happening. Kaleen spent her days reading in the apartment, writing things down in the notebook Mac gave her. Savoy came and went, checking on her. He kissed her goodbye and held her at night, but his touches were minimal again. Kaleen chalked it up to him being stressed about everything. He wasn’t mean or short with her, he was just quiet and she didn’t nag. 

Then one day, right after Savoy had left, a female Disciple came up to the apartment. She stood in the doorway and knocked. “Hey, you Kaleen?”

Kaleen jumped up, excited for a visitor, then remembered this was a raider. She was still excited, though. “Hey! What can I do for you?”

The woman stepped inside and stuck out her hand. “Savoy told me he wanted you to train in hand to hand combat, so I am going to show you some moves. Come with me!”

Kaleen was hesitant. He had told her that, but he hadn’t said it would happen today. “He didn’t say anything to me about doing it today, so I am a little surprised.”

Tara waved her hand. “He is so distracted cause of all the stress, I could see him forgetting.” Kaleen was still hesitant. “Look, he said he wants this to happen today. I am helping you out here, if you deny the training he will see it as defiance.”

She was right about that. Kaleen was torn. Her instinct was screaming at her to stop and not go, but she wanted to please Savoy more. She didn’t want him to come home and be disappointed that she didn’t listen. “Alright, where are we doing this?”

“There is a spot just outside, it is open and away. It has soft ground for falling.”

Kaleen put on her shoes. “Just give me a moment, I will be right out.” The Disciple went outside and Kaleen threw on some shorts and shoes. If something was up and this was a farce, Savoy had a link to her and could find her. She left a note just in case, and left it on her book on the nightstand. 

Tara took her out Fizztop a back way, away from most of the gang. This made her uncomfortable but she shut down the feeling, not wanting to worry Savoy. They got outside and Kaleen basked in the fresh air, the sunlight. She followed Tara quite a ways when she felt herself getting nervous. “How much farther?”

“Not far. Just over here.”

They walked a ways more, and Kaleen stopped. “Alright, this is good. I am not going any further.”

Tara turned and held up a knife. “Alright, bitch. Let’s see if you can dodge.”


	4. Chapter 4

Savoy felt the panic first, then anger and more panic. He dismissed himself from Nisha and ran back to his place to find Kaleen gone. He looked around, and saw a note on her book that said the Disciple, Tara, that he sent to teach her fighting, has come to take her out to training. She wrote below that she didn’t want to disappoint or defy him by turning Tara’s offer down. He ran out of Fizztop as fast as he could. 

He never heard of a Tara. He could still feel her in the link. He sent her some comfort through his rage as he ran to where she was. Way off in the distance, beyond the main park, he saw two people fighting. When the figure saw him in the distance, she swiped with her knife one more time and took off. Then, the link went cold. She was unconscious. 

The alleged Disciple had made her getaway, but Kaleen was more important right now. His lungs burning with the running, he got to her and picked her up, running with her back into Fizztop. Yelling for help, he took her back to their apartment and set her on the bed, and started looking at the damage. A few stab wounds, nothing too serious. A cut to her forehead with a large lump under it. Must have been knocked unconscious. A Disciple appeared at his side with stimpacks, and they both injected them into Kaleen. 

Savoy held his breath and waited, and finally she coughed, her eyes fluttering open. She stuttered for a second, then came up swinging. Savoy grabbed her arms. “Stop! It’s me!”

“Where is she?”

“She took off.”

“She couldn’t have gotten far. I stabbed her several times with her own knife. She is bleeding out, it is why she hit me.”

Savoy nodded at the Disciple women who were standing at the door and they took off, knowing what to do. 

“Why the fuck did you go with her? Huh?” Savoy was screaming at her. Kaleen felt rage through the link, but also fear. The rage was rooted in fear. 

“Because she knew about you wanting to have me trained, I didn’t think just anyone would know that. I was worried if I didn’t go due to my own paranoia and fear you would have seen it as defiance!”

“What if she fucking killed you, huh?”

“Then you would have one less problem to deal with!” Savoy froze, but Kaleen didn’t back down. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t be fucking relieved if something happened to me. One less thing for you to have to worry about.”

“That’s not true. Fuck, you know what would happen if anything happened to you? I will kill every fucking person in this goddamn park.”

Kaleen rolled her eyes. Her adrenaline was pumping, she was fucking scared, and she was being fucking yelled at. “Quit acting like I mean anything to you, you barely know me.”

“You are my fucking mate. We are connected to each other, whether you like it or not. I will not sit by and let anything happen to you, and I will not allow you to put yourself in danger just because you think that by offing yourself you are doing a favor to me.”

“Whatever, Savoy.”

He leaned over and grabbed her hair. Not hard, not enough to hurt, but he yanked it so that she was looking up at him. “Don’t piss me off.”

She lost her fire quickly, plus the adrenaline was wearing off. “Sorry. I think the fight just got me worked up.”

His hand let go of gripping her head, and he cupped her cheek. “It’s okay.” He leaned down and kissed her, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Fuck, I was scared. I felt your panic, I felt your pain. I didn't know what happened.”  
“So you didn’t send anyone to train me?”

He shook his head. “Only Nisha knew about it, unless some Disciples overheard. I am not so sure this was a Disciple, though.”

“How do you know? And how would they have known?”

“There are no secrets in this park, Kaleen. You should know that. Look at all the information that you know that was supposed to be secret, just because you stayed in the background to listen. But I know this wasn’t a Disciple, because a Disciple wouldn’t do this.”

“There are traitors everywhere, Savoy.”

He shook his head. “They would have no reason to. They would know they would be punished. No, this is someone else. Rival gang member, anyone. Too many moving parts to keep track of in this game. The downfall of being in a raider gang that wears masks is that it is easy to slip in unnoticed.”

His hand came down and she flinched away before she thought better of it, and he cupped her cheek again. “Fuck, I thought I lost you.”

“I did mean that, though. It would be a relief to you if I were gone.”

He stared at her. “Don’t do anything fucking stupid, because that isn’t true. Losing you would fucking hurt me.”

Kaleen placed her hand over his. “I mean of course you would be sad, and the death of a mate is really painful. But once you got past that, things would be easier for you. Come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t thought of it.”

“Thought of it? Thought of what? Losing you? Every fucking day. It plagues my thoughts. I worry about losing you all of the time. I think of you every minute of the day, and how even when we haven’t been connected for a long time, I still think that there is no way that I could live if I had to wake up every day and you weren’t here.” His lips crashed down on hers. “I can’t live that way, ever again. I don’t care if it is soft or seen as weak.”

They sat there, lips devouring each other, when they heard a commotion downstairs. A woman yelling, and Disciple’s whooping and hollering. Savoy looked down at Kaleen with a smile. “Sounds like they got her. Wanna come?”

“Can I?” She shouldn’t be so excited but this was a chance to be a part of his life outside this apartment. 

He held out his hand to her and pulled her to sit up. She got out of the bed, moved her limbs around. A few gashes from the woman’s knife, nothing too serious. She followed Savoy out of the apartment and down to the group of raiders at the bottom of the stairs. 

~~

Savoy was fucking pissed. Livid. He was holding back for Kaleen but he was ready to fucking kill everything that came across his path. Going downstairs, a group of Disciples had a woman wrapped in razor wire. He walked Kaleen over to her. “This her?”

Kaleen took a real good look at her, turned to Savoy and said, “That’s her.”

“Interesting. Because she isn’t a fucking Disciple.”

The woman spit at Savoy through her gag. “That’s not very nice, now is it. Tell you what, you are going to tell us who you work for and you sent you to kill my mate. I am sure you know who we are, and what we are capable of.”

The woman shouted a “fuck you!” Through the gag. 

“Very well, then.” Savoy and a few of the Disciples cut off the razor wire that bound her, using more wire to tie her wrists together, then tie those wrists to a pole, keeping her arms raised high above her body. She couldn’t risk relaxing her arms or she would cut her wrists. 

Kaleen watched what was happening, and she didn’t even feel sorrow for the woman. She had tricked her, made her look fucking stupid and gullible, then wanted to kill her. Luckily, the woman didn’t know that Savoy wanted Kaleen trained not because she couldn’t fight, but because he wanted her skills to be better honed. 

He took out his knife and handed it to Kaleen. “Do the honors. Going to need to cut her shirt off, bare her chest and shoulders to the knives we have.”

Kaleen nodded and approached the woman, who hissed and spit. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Should try making this easier on yourself.,” Kaleen muttered to the woman as she ran the knife up her armor and shirt, cutting it all off of her, leaving her only in a bra on her top. 

Kaleen walked back to Savoy. “You torture a lot of topless women?” She joked. 

He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck. “Purely business, my dear.”

Savoy held up what looked to be a kind of whip, but on the end was a sharpened razor blade. He whipped the woman over and over with it, Bright red slashes appearing on her chest and abdomen with every slash of his arm. The woman was quiet now, but still awake. “Who sent you?” Savoy asked again. 

The woman shook her head, refusing to answer. 

This went on for hours. The woman never spoke, and they used stimpacks on her to keep her alive. After a while, Savoy and Kaleen were practicing throwing knives at her, Savoy showing her how to do it from different angles. He positioned her body and stood behind her, his hand moving down her arm to hold the hand that held the knife, and moved his body with hers to show her how it was done. 

The woman took a throwing knife to the eye and screamed. “It was some Pack members! They are lower in the gang but wanted me to take out Savoy’s bitch, and they paid me to do it! This kid is obsessed with her, has been for a long time, and got pissed when she mated with Savoy. He wanted me to fucking kill her, make it look like a Disciple did it to weaken the gang in the war! Fuck! Just fucking kill me and get it over with!”

Kaleen froze. “It was him.”

Savoy looked over at her. “The ones who hurt you?”

She nodded. “It had to be him.”

Savoy nodded, and put his arm around Kaleen. “I got what I needed, Have fun, ladies.” He walked away with Kaleen, leaving the Disciple women circling the chained up prisoner, frenzied on blood. 

They got back to their living quarters and Savoy rounded on Kaleen. “You left that part out of the story.”

She didn’t look up from taking off her shoes. “What’s that?”

“He was obsessed with you?”

She waved him off and it made him growl. “Yeah, it was weird. Those Pack guys take that primal animal shit too seriously. He wanted me as his mate, but nature had other plans. He only forced himself on me a few times and it was a while ago.”

“That is something I should have known.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would matter. I didn’t think he would try to do this. He had never tried to hurt me before.”

Savoy’s chest bubbled with rage. “He didn’t hurt you before? He fucking raped you.”

“That isn’t a big deal, it happens to slaves all of the time.”

“Yeah? Then why did you kill that fucking raider for Mackenzie?”

“I felt bad for her. She is in love with someone else, another raider in the park. Fucking stupid if you ask me, but she wanted to like, save herself for him or some shit. I feel bad for women, especially slaves, who still think that love and romance is tangible. She didn’t deserve that. Plus, I fucking hate Operators. I hope they all get fucking killed in this war.”

Savoy sat on the couch next to her, trying to process everything she just said. Fuck, this whole war shit was getting to him. For the first time he cared for more than just spilling blood, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it. Before he could think about it, he pulled her into his arms, pressing her against his chest. Reminding himself she was okay. They laid there for a while and he got a smirk on his face. “So tell me who Mackenzie is in love with.”

Kaleen chuckled. “It is a secret, I am the only one who knows. Well, other than the raider.”

“Wait, so it is returned? You have got to tell me now.”

“You into gossip?”

He laughed. “I am curious. What gang?”

“He isn’t in a gang.”

“It isn’t Gage, he has a mate that keeps his balls in her pocket. Who is it?”

She looked up at him, mischief across her face. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“Why would I fucking tell anyone?”

She sighed and laughed. “It’s Shank.”

“What? That fucking weasel?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of cute, actually.” She pressed her forehead into his chest. “She deserves a chance at love, she is a good person. Someone in this world should have a happy ending.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, ignoring the pang in his chest at her words. Such a short time he was mated to her and fucking all this shit flowing in his head, in his chest. 

They sat there for a long time and she lifted her head up, watching his face. She looked like she wanted to say something, so he just cocked his head and watched her. “Savoy, I want to tell you, I-”

“Sorry to intrude, but Savoy, we have business to attend to.” Nisha was standing in the doorway, only her mouth visible, showing an amused smile. 

“Of course, Nisha. Kaleen, I will be back.”

“We will talk in here. Kaleen should be aware of what is happening.”

Savoy was uneasy about that. He had been protecting her from a lot of what was happening, to keep her worry and fear at bay. But he couldn’t argue with Nisha, she was the only one that could tell him what to do. “Of course. Come in, have a seat.”

Kaleen stood and waited for Nisha to sit in a chair. “Can I get you a drink, Nisha?”

“No, I’m good. Sit down, Kaleen.” 

Kaleen sat next to Savoy, her knee touching his, and he let the small touch be a comfort. Nisha crossed her legs daintily, swinging her foot back and forth. “Well, with the Brotherhood making camp in the park-”

“Wait, what?” Kaleen interrupted. 

Nisha’s mouth formed a thin line, and she looked at Savoy. “She is not aware, is she?”

He shook his head, putting a hand on Kaleen’s knee. “I am sorry to interrupt you, Nisha.”

“I will overlook that one. Anyway, as I was saying, the bitch overboss has brought the Brotherhood into the park, a display of power. She plans to take us all out with them. We can not fight all of the gangs and the Brotherhood at the same time. The Pack are the most worrisome. We must take them out first.”

Savoy was uneasy, and he felt the fear flowing through his link. Nisha went on. “The Pack are animals. Tomorrow, they will be having a party, some kind of celebration for him and his bitch mate. They have no idea how to moderate. They will be drunk and high, and we will move in and kill them all while they are weakened.”

Savoy sat up straight. “So we are going against the Pack tomorrow? All of them at once?”

“Yes, Savoy. It is our only chance right now. We take them out, we make a treaty with the operators, and then we can go up against the Brotherhood and take out the overboss and her stupid fucking mate. That is the best plan right now. Get some rest, it is late. Savoy, I will need to see you in the morning, then we prepare for war.” With that, Nisha left. 

Savoy looked over at Kaleen. “It’s going to be okay.”

“What if something happens to you?”

He chuckled. “Then you have a chance to get another mate.”

He heard her gulp, and a tear fell down her face. “Come on, Kaleen. Let’s get to bed, huh?”

They stripped down to almost nothing, and crawled into bed together. Savoy held her tight to his chest as his mind went a million miles an hour. He needed a plan for her. If something happened to him, they would come for her. He felt something wet against his chest and brought his hand to her face, and realized she was crying. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

He kissed her forehead, pulling her close again. “I will be fine, and we will come out of this on top.” But for the first time, Savoy didn’t actually believe it. Nisha’s plan seemed too easy, Mason the Alpha wasn’t stupid and shouldn’t be underestimated. He kept thinking as he felt her breaths become deeper and slower as she drifted off to sleep. 

~~

Kaleen woke up the next morning to find Savoy gone. She knew he had stuff to do with Nisha, and would be back before he had to go to the fight. She tried to keep her anxiety down. The fight was tonight. What if this was her last day with him? 

She took a bath, trying to let the water and soap wash away all of her fears, but it didn’t work. Getting out, she wrapped herself in a towel and sat on the couch with a book, trying to distract herself with the words in front of her. 

Before long, Savoy appeared at the door. She didn’t miss the worry and anxiety coming from him, flowing with her own fears. He sat down on the couch next to her, and she snuggled up to his side, ignoring that the towel barely covered her. “Hey.” Was that all she could say? Fucking weak. 

“I have a few hours before we head out.” His hand was rubbing on her knee as he stared at the wall, distracted. 

Kaleen suddenly had an idea. This might be her last afternoon with him. Fuck, he could probably come out of the fight but what if he didn’t? What would she have with him? Gulping, she leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Close your eyes. I want to show you something.”

“I’m not in the mood for games.”

“This isn’t a game. Close your eyes.”

He sighed, and closed his eyes. “No peeking.” He lifted his hand to cover them as well. 

She didn’t know where the courage was coming from but she pushed away any anxiety. Opening the drawer where her clothes were, she reached in the back and pulled out the black nightgown. Dropping the towel, she pulled it over her head with shaking hands. 

It fit well enough. It was a little tight, the silky material stretched over her curves, lines of lace cupping her breasts. It came down just at her upper thigh, hiding everything that should be covered. Standing in front of a small mirror, she suddenly felt unsure of herself, like this was a stupid idea. But no going back now. 

She stepped in front of where he sat on the couch. “Open your eyes.”

His hand dropped and he looked at her. He blinked a couple of times. She waited for his reaction, worried that all she would feel from him was amusement or irritation. 

But suddenly, lust flowed through the link so strong she gasped out. He leaned forward, placing his hands on her waist, fingers rubbing the silk material up and down. He pulled her closer to him. “What’s this for?”

She cleared her throat, trying to swallow the nerves. “I am scared. I am scared that this is our last afternoon together. I wanted to give you something, and I don’t have much to offer.”

He leaned forward, pressing his face against her stomach, fingers still running along her side. “Fuck, Kaleen.”


	5. Chapter 5

Savoy was trying to suppress some of the lust that he felt but fuck. Her standing in front of him, barely covered in that silk shit? Sent his mind into overdrive. The way she was looking down at him, all shy as she bit her lip? Fuck. He shouldn’t do this. He might not make it out tonight. 

Then, she put out her hand to him. “Come, Savoy.”

He placed his hand in hers, let her pull him up to standing. Let her lead him to their bed. Their fucking bed. She sat on the edge of it, looking up at him. “I just want something with you.”

A better man would say no, would tell her that this was a bad idea but fuck he wasn’t a good man. Growling, he crashed his mouth down on hers, basking in her gasp as he devoured her, his hands grasping every inch of her covered with that goddamn silk. 

Kicking his boots off, he lifted her up and set her on the bed, her head on the pillow. He fucking wanted her but fuck he was going to do it right. She deserved that much. 

His hands groped at her, her nipples hardening through the lace, and he pulled the top down to expose her breast to him. He brought his mouth down on her nipple, pulling on it with his teeth, her back arching up into him. He lifted his head to look down at her, and took his shirt off in one fluid motion, bringing his mouth back down to hers. 

There was nothing but lust flowing between there. Nerves on her end, she was nervous, but no fear. As his mouth traveled down, pressing against her through the nightgown, traveling down her stomach, he kept telling himself to stop. Not now. But he pushed those thoughts out. Fuck he needed her. 

Every night she slept in his arms, every fucking night he held back. Waiting for the right time. And now sure as fuck wasn’t the right time but fuck it all. Fuck the overboss, the other gangs, the brotherhood. Right now he wanted her moaning under him. 

His mouth made it down to her cunt and he lifted the sides of the nightgown up with his hands, delivering a lick up her slit, already wet for him. His hands traveled up to grope at her breasts, pressing his palms against her nipples, as his tongue assaulted her clit. 

He didn’t care about tact, or gentle, or sweet right now. She was crying out and not fucking stopping him, his tongue pressing and moving in circles. He brought a hand down to shove two fingers inside of her, groaning at her tight cunt sucking them in. His attack on her didn’t take long, he let the lust he felt drown her as he moved on her pussy, hitting every spot until she came undone. 

Her hands went to his hair, grasping the short hair in her fingers as she came on his fingers, the silent moan on her lips. He pressed a kiss to her clit one more time, and took his fingers out of her, smiling at the whimper. He sat up between her legs, looking down at her as he unbuckled his pants, pushing them down and off as he leaned over her, propping himself up be her head. 

Her eyes were closed tight, her body pressing against his. Her knees were bent, pushing next to his hips. Ignoring that one hand was covered in her slick he cupped her face, kissing her jaw. “Look at me.”

Obediently she opened her eyes, meeting his glare. He took his cock in his hand, rubbing the head of it against her slit, stroking it. “You want this?”

“Yes.” She nodded. 

He brought his mouth down to hers again, pushing the head of his cock in her. Fuck, she was already tightening around him. “Relax. I’m not small, and I don’t want to hurt you. You need to relax.”

She nodded again, taking a deep breath. He pressed kisses to her throat as he shoved further in, moving in further a few inches with every thrust, backing out each time. 

After some time he was fully seated in her, and he propped himself on both of his arms again. Her eyes were open but she was looking past him. “Look at me.”

As soon as her eyes met his, he pulled out most of the way and shoved back in her. Fuck, she was fucking tight. Her face wasn’t registering any pain, no discomfort. Just soft gasps left her lips and fuck. He never had this before. He moved slow, fucking her with slow and hard thrusts. Enjoying every time that soft moan left her lips, every time she gasped when he was fully in her, hitting her deep. 

Her legs wrapped around his waist, and her arms went around his neck. He picked up the pace, moving faster but not nearly what he wanted. He wanted to hold her down and fuck her with no abandon, make her scream out his name. 

Her moans were getting louder, becoming cries that filled his ears with the background noise of the sound of his cock slamming into her wet cunt. She opened her legs wider to him, her back arching against him. “Savoy, fuck.” His name as a moan on her lips would haunt his mind forever. “I want you to fuck me.”

He bit at the pulse in her neck, then sat back, kneeling between her thighs. He took her hips in a grip, holding her down as he pummelled into her. Her hands went back, grabbing onto the headboard as he fucked her, not giving a shit to heard her screaming out his fucking name. 

Let them all fucking hear it. 

Her arms up like that, his mind started thinking about what else he wanted to do to her. Fuck, she would look hot tied up like that, unable to move as he fucked every inch of her. Without warning, she tightened up against him, her pussy spasming in orgasm as he continued with his assault, not slowing down, making it last as long as possible. 

Her own end brought his, and he let her milk his cock as he filled her. Fuck, he should have pulled out but he wasn’t going to miss out on her coming on him. Breathless, he threw his head back, trying to catch his breath. 

He leaned down back over her, his now soft cock falling out of her as he laid beside her in the bed. She curled against his chest, her arms wrapping around him. They laid like that for a while, both out of breath and pounding hearts. 

When she looked up at him, she was crying. “Hey, none of that.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just scared.”

“I know. Let’s just lay here, we have time.”

~~

Kaleen was filled with so much bullshit she couldn’t handle it. Maybe this was a bad idea, but she wanted something from him. Anything. After a while, once the sun began to slowly set, he got up. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled her to him. “Get dressed. Pack a bag.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

She calmed her shaking hands as she got dressed, packing her few possessions in a bag. “Savoy, what’s going on?”

He put an arm around her waist, pulling her to him, burying his face in her hair. His hand came up and took a handful of her hair, moving her face up to look at him. “There is a chance I won’t make it out tonight. I know, I know. I might, I might not. I have to think of you, okay? Pack a bag, and go to the monorail. If it goes to shit, power it on and head to the Commonwealth. I will get you caps, enough to hold you over.”

“Savoy-”

“Look, if something happens to me, you will know instantly. If it doesn’t, I will come get you, alright? Just fucking listen and do what I say, you got it?”

Kaleen couldn’t stop the tears. “Okay.”

He pulled her in for another kiss, then grabbed a bag of caps and put it in her pack. “You have everything you need for right now. I promise, I will come get you, alright?”

“Please don’t die tonight. Fuck, why? Why does it have to be this way?”

He pulled her in for another kiss, then smirked down on her. “We are raiders, baby. It’s what we do.”

She wrapped her arms around him one more time, breathing in his scent. “Please come back to me.”

“I will. I need to go, and so do you.” 

Kaleen strapped a knife to her waist, and a handgun to her hip. Looking around at the apartment, she made sure she hadn’t missed anything. “Savoy, I-”

“Shh. Don’t say it. I’ll come get you later, alright?” He kissed her one more time and gripped her so tight she felt it would bruise. He looked down hard at her, brows furrowed. Then, he pushed her away, so hard she stumbled back. “Get out of here.”

Kaleen grabbed her pack and swallowed her tears, and headed through Nuka World to the monorail. 

She could feel it. His rage, his aggression, his urge to kill. She felt pain. He was injured, but still going. She chugged the liquor in her hand and chain smoked. 

It went on for hours, and she was starting to think it would end good for them. Then, it happened. 

The splitting, horrible pain in her throat. Then, the snap of white hot in her head. Then, radio silence. Nothing at all from him. She fell on her knees, sobbing. 

She only allowed her pity party for a moment. Savoy would want her to survive. He would want her to fight on, to keep going. Sobs still choking her, she went to the monorail power center and turned it on, and she heard the engines start up. 

Stepping back onto the train, she punched the red button to send the train off, watching out the window as her life and love flew past her.


End file.
